A Practical Guide to Graphics Reporting, 2nd Edition

3 Research and writing graphics

Good writing rarely happens spontaneously, even for the best writers. Of course, journalists often write great, stories on deadline, but those daily stories often take a "just-the-facts" approach to storytelling. In fact, many stories take weeks, even months of research, writing, and editing. Regardless, a good story almost always starts with a clear articulation of the central topic. If you can't find the focus, chances are you don't yet have a story. The same is true for information graphics.

Finding that focus may involve a number of activities, including reading what's already been written on a topic, viewing information graphics on similar topics, and/or interviewing expert sources or significant individuals ...